Agenda item

1.         That a consultation with residents, families, carers, staff, trade unions and other affected stakeholders commences regarding the future of Surrey County Council’s six in-house older people’s residential care homes be approved

            The homes are as follows:

·        Brockhurst in Ottershaw

·        Cobgates in Farnham

·        Dormers in Caterham

·        Longfield in Cranleigh

·        Park Hall in Reigate

·        Pinehurst in Camberley

2.         Further recommendations on the results of the consultation on 24 February 2015 be received.

Reasons for Decisions:

As people continue to live independently in the community for longer, when they do require residential care their needs tend to be more complex. As such, there has been an increase in the number and proportion of nursing care placements being commissioned as opposed to residential care placements. Surrey County Council is considering its commissioning strategy as a result of this.

Surrey County Council’s Adult Social Care Directorate, in partnership with Clinical Commissioning Groups, continues to commission services that support a shift away from residential care to personalised social care in community settings, supporting individuals to live independently and safely.

The physical environments of the homes reduce the ability to deliver a quality service maintaining dignity and no longer represent best value for money in light of the new CQC requirements. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Adult Social Care Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care began by stating that the Council was well aware of the impact onall residents, their families, carers, staff and that any decision on the future of these homes would have over time.

Mr Few stated that the primary role of the Council was the safeguarding of all vulnerable adults and that no action would be taken if it put any adult in an unsafe position. He also stated that should the consultation support the preferred option to close these homes, no relocations will take place until spring of 2015.

The decision to proceed with this consultation on the future of the homes has been taken after considering the following factors.

·        Along with the trend throughout the country the strategy was to encourage the elderly to remain in their own homes where many have lived for many years among their own friend’s families and communities.

·        It is also recognised that this change was creating a need for nursing homes where the elderly move to when they can no longer remain in their own homes.  None of Surrey’s homes were equipped to provide such care. 

·        The six homes were commissioned in the late 1970's. The facilities do not match today’s requirements in that bathrooms and toilets were not gender specific. Also bedrooms were not of an acceptable size, which often places stress on the staff as they regularly have to manoeuvre the resident’s furniture to accommodate lifting equipment.

Mr Few went on to state that the homes were under-utilised, and would continue to remain so in order to enable staff to provide the attention that each resident requires.

He confirmed that the sites on which the homes were located limited the amount of expansion that could be achieved including implementing ensuite rooms and additional facilities and in doing this, the bed capacity would be reduced by between 40-60% making the cost of running these homes cost prohibitive. In order to modernise these homes it would require significant capital expenditure in the order of £60m.

Mr Few highlighted that the report and annexes contain the details of all the homes under consultation, details of the consultation process and a full equalities impact assessment. He confirmed that the results of the consultation process were expected in February 2015 and following this the Cabinet will be asked to assess the results and accept the conclusion that they deliver.

The Leader of the Council concluded that it is important that the Council provided the right form and level of care but the realities were that the physical state of the homes. He stressed the importance of seeing the evidence from the consultation to find the best way forward for the residents.

RESOLVED:

1.         That a consultation with residents, families, carers, staff, trade unions and other affected stakeholders commences regarding the future of Surrey County Council’s six in-house older people’s residential care homes be approved

            The homes are as follows:

·        Brockhurst in Ottershaw

·        Cobgates in Farnham

·        Dormers in Caterham

·        Longfield in Cranleigh

·        Park Hall in Reigate

·        Pinehurst in Camberley

2.         Further recommendations on the results of the consultation on 24 February 2015 be received.

Reasons for Decisions:

As people continue to live independently in the community for longer, when they do require residential care their needs tend to be more complex. As such, there has been an increase in the number and proportion of nursing care placements being commissioned as opposed to residential care placements. Surrey County Council is considering its commissioning strategy as a result of this.

Surrey County Council’s Adult Social Care Directorate, in partnership with Clinical Commissioning Groups, continues to commission services that support a shift away from residential care to personalised social care in community settings, supporting individuals to live independently and safely.

The physical environments of the homes reduce the ability to deliver a quality service maintaining dignity and no longer represent best value for money in light of the new CQC requirements.